Märstaån – ett vattenlandskap : Är våtmarker och dammar vägen framåt?

The overall aim is to examine how the European Union Water Framework Directive has affected the local water management in the catchment Märstaån situated in the eastern part of the lake Mälaren river basin, Sweden. The first part of the study gives an historical overview of the area with focus on how the old agricultural landscape was handling the nutrient load from farming activities by means of different kinds of wetlands. By using the concept of the procedural landscape, introduced by Torsten Hägerstrand , together with historical maps with dates starting from the 17th century, the pre-modern landscape is analyzed. The second part is an investigation, based on qualitative data, on how the different actors in the catchment area work together to secure the water quality for the Märstaån river. The analysis shows that the Märstaån catchment river systems are mostly unchanged in the rural areas. The exception is the mainstream section of the Märstaån river running partly underground today and the Halmsjöbäcken river that is heavily affected by the Arlanda airport situated within the catchment area. A number of new wetlands have also been constructed to compensate for old wetlands affected by the growth of the Märsta and Arlanda urban areas. The newly formed water cooperation group with representatives from all the major actors in the catchment area is very much alive with stated mission and goals. The main activity today is extended water quality monitoring in order to fulfill the local interpretation of the European Union Water Framework Directive